Pop Therapy (Formerly The Curious Life Podcast)

with Jana Firestone

Pop Therapy (formerly The Curious Life Podcast) is where therapist, bestselling author and unapologetic pop-culture obsessive Jana Firestone dissects the worlds we binge. From Bravo scandals, celebrity culture to streaming sensations and the fandoms that fuel them. With a clinical lens and a die-hard viewer’s heart, Jana unpacks the psychology of conflict, fame, friendship fractures, redemption arcs and the storylines we can’t stop analysing, alongside candid conversations with the people living inside the pop-culture machine. Smart, incisive and highly entertaining.

  1. 13 FEB

    Chef Stuart O'Keeffe: Private Chef, Public Life

    This week on Pop Therapy, I’m joined by the one and only Chef Stu - celebrity chef, cookbook author, podcaster and star of the Food Network’s Private Chefs of Beverly Hills. Stu takes us through his journey from Ireland to Los Angeles, what it really takes to build a career in the public eye, and how fame can blur the lines between your personal life and your public brand. We talk candidly about navigating a very public relationship and breakup, especially when that person lives a public life themselves.. The pressure of being watched in real time, and the boundaries you have to build to protect your peace. Of course, we also dive into the Bravosphere - from the new ick on Vanderpump Rules to Real Housewives of Beverly Hills - and unpack what reality TV needs to bring back the magic. Plus, we touch on wellness trends like GLP-1s and NAD, energy culture, and the cultural obsession with optimisation. This one is funny, honest, and full of heart - with a little bit of cooking and a whole lot of Pop Therapy. Connect with the wonderful Chef Stu: IG: @chefstuartokeeffePodcast: Don't Let It Stu Connect with the show: Pop Therapy IG: ⁠⁠@jana.firestone⁠⁠ Website: ⁠⁠www.janafirestone.com⁠ YouTube: ⁠⁠POP THERAPY PODCAST⁠ TikTok: ⁠@janafirestone⁠ Work with our brilliant audio engineer Sam Talbot at ⁠www.samtalbot.com.au⁠!

    59 min

  2. 5 FEB

    Carina Mirabile: Behind the MAFS Cameras

    It's 2026 and a new seasons of MAFS is upon us! This episode was recorded last year, and I’ve been holding onto it ever since - because I knew the right moment would come. And with the new season of Married at First Sight airing this week, it feels like perfect timing. Today on Pop Therapy (The Curious Life Podcast when this was recorded), I’m joined by former MAFS bride Carina Mirabile, for a conversation that’s warm, honest, and far more reflective than you might expect from the world of reality TV. Carina opens up about who she was before the cameras, her love of travel and new experiences, and the deep family values that have shaped her. We talk about connection, relationships, and the quiet ways we grow in our twenties and thirties - especially when life takes an unexpected turn. We get into the Paul of it all - if you recall, it was a big moment on Australian TV and started a lot of conversations about family violence and red flags. This is a conversation about self-discovery, love, and stepping into a new chapter… even when you don’t know what the next page will hold. Follow Carina on IG at @carinamirabile Check out her biz at @by.mirab Follow the show at: Pop Therapy IG: ⁠@jana.firestone⁠ Website: ⁠www.janafirestone.com YouTube: ⁠POP THERAPY PODCAST TikTok: @janafirestone Work with our brilliant audio engineer Sam Talbot at www.samtalbot.com.au!

    59 min

  3. 22 JAN

    Brand Breakups and Bravo Truths: Brooklyn Beckham, Amanda and Kyle and why The Valley: Persian Style works.

    In this episode of Pop Therapy, we are joined by one of our faves, Dana Regan The Bravo Investigator, for a sharp, fast-moving unpack of the biggest pop-culture moments right now. We dive into Brooklyn Beckham’s shock statement and the very public separation from his famous family - what it signals, what it exposes, and why it’s landed so loudly. We then turn to the Amanda and Kyle split on Summer House - the slowest relationship unraveling reality TV has ever normalised - and what Amanda’s honesty around mental health reveals about emotional labour in public relationships. We touch on The Traitors and The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, before ending where Bravo is getting it right. The Valley: Persian Style gets its flowers as one of the most exciting new additions to the network - rich cultural context, real relational stakes, and dynamics that feel lived-in rather than produced. Pop culture, with the therapy lens firmly on. Follow Dana Regan / The Bravo InvestigatorPodcast: The Bravo Investigator PodcastInstagram: @thebravoinvestigatorPatreon: www.patreon.com/thebravoinvestigator Follow Pop TherapyInstagram: @jana.firestoneWebsite: www.janafirestone.com Listen & subscribe wherever you get your podcasts Thank you to the brilliant Sam Talbot for audio engineering and production support. Work with him too at www.samtalbot.com.au

    1h 15m

  4. 16 JAN

    Above Deck Pop Therapy Crossover

    This is an Above Deck x Pop Therapy mashup! The incredible team, Sarah Goldman and Kelli Busby invited me to be a guest aboard their brilliant pod, Above Deck, to chat all things Below Deck, Bravo and beyond. You can watch the ep in full on the Hurrdat Entertainment YouTube Channel or listen here or via Above Deck on Apple Pods or Spotify. Warning: This episode includes a frank discussion about suicide - please listen with care and reach out to The Suicide and Crisis Lifeline (988) if you need help. In Australia, reach out to Lifeline on 13 11 14) Sarah and Kelli talk to Jana Firestone from the Pop Therapy Podcast. Topics include: Favorite Bravo podcasters, BravoCon, her therapy background, what makes Below Deck a unique reality show, her trip to LA, her time with Joe Bradley, internet trolls, Rachel Zoe’s return to Bravo, RHOBH, It’s a Brad, Brad World, Juicy Scoop, her love of Craig Conover, how tall most Bravolebs are, Salley and Venita, the horrible episode of The Viall Files with Austen Kroll, The Valley: Persian Style, how to watch Heated Rivalry. A bonus episode of Above Deck is out now! Follow us on Instagram: @abovedeckpod   Get in touch: abovedeckpod@gmail.com  Get ya some Above Deck merch: https://shop.hurrdatmedia.com/collections/above-deck  If you’re struggling and think you’d benefit from a therapy session, go to betterhelp.com/Abovedeck or choose Above Deck during signup and get 10% off your first month of therapy. Please subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts, and tell a friend! Resources: https://988lifeline.org/ instagram.com/jana.firestone/ Pop Therapy on Apple Podcasts Pop Therapy on YouTube So Bad It's Good With Ryan Bailey Reality Life with Kate Casey https://decider.com/2026/01/13/nick-viall-wife-natalie-joy-owe-austen-kroll-apology/ This is another Hurrdat Media Production. Hurrdat Media is a podcast network and digital media production company based in Omaha, NE. Find more podcasts on the Hurrdat Media Network by going to HurrdatMedia.com or the Hurrdat Media YouTube channel!

    57 min

  5. 7 JAN

    Below Deck Med: Beneath the Mask with Joe Bradley

    Content warning: This episode includes discussion of suicide, suicidal ideation, mental health and homelessness. Please take care while listening. This week on Pop Therapy, we go below the surface with Joe Bradley from Below Deck Mediterranean - and it goes far deeper than the edit ever could. Behind the yachtie lifestyle and reality TV storyline is a life shaped by instability, survival mode and a fierce determination to do better. Joe opens up about his early life, the sacrifices his mother made for the family and the inconceivably dark days that followed the loss of his career and home. These were the moments that shaped him and he's not afraid to talk about it. Yachting for Joe became not just a job but a way out. We unpack what it’s really like to have your lowest moments, relationship mistakes and drunken nights out judged in real time by the internet. And yes, we go there. Joe answers the V and Kizzi questions that are probably burning inside of you too - with honesty, accountability and a lot more nuance than a reunion couch would allow. This is a conversation about resilience, self-reflection and what happens when you stop running from your past and start rewriting it. About public perception, private pain, and the quiet work of becoming someone you can live with - and eventually build a future with. This is Pop Therapy at its best: reality TV, minus the mask. Catch Joe on Season 10 of Below Deck Med airing now on Hayu, Bravo and Peacock. Follow him on IG at @joebradley_ Follow the show at @jana.firestone or get in touch online at www.janafirestone.com Watch this and all other episodes on YouTube at POP THERAPY PODCAST This episode was filmed and recorded by the brilliant Angus O'Loughlin at SESSION in PROGRESS Thank you to our wonderful sound engineer Sam Talbot for all of his incredible work and support. You can work with him too! www.samtalbot.com.au

    1h 9m

  6. 23/12/2025

    The Psychology of the Bravosphere with Bella Talks TV

    In this episode of Pop Therapy, I’m joined by fellow psychology graduate and reality obsessive, Amanda from Bella Talks TV for a deep dive into the psychology of the Bravosphere. We unpack what’s really happening beneath the storylines - the fandoms, the scandals, and the production choices (that we may or may not agree with). We talk about authenticity as Bravo’s most fragile currency, how social media now drives the narrative as much as producers do, and why controversy fuels loyalty, outrage and obsession in equal measure. We also get into the evolution of franchises like RHOC, what happens when cast dynamics shift and why real connection is the difference between iconic TV and viewer fatigue. This one’s about more than what we’re watching. It’s about why we care - and what reality TV reveals about us. Get all the latest TV updates from Amanda at: IG: @bellatalkstv YouTube: @bellatalkstv Podcast: Bella Talks TV Follow Pop Therapy at: IG: @jana.firestone YouTube: @poptherapypodcast Website: www.janafirestone.com Thanks as always to our legendary audio engineer, Sam Talbot! You can work with him too - at www.samtalbot.com.au

    1h 29m

  7. 14/12/2025

    Redemption, Reality and the Bravo Machine with Cat from Worm With A Mustache

    This week on Pop Therapy, Cat from Worm with a Mustache is back to pull apart the Bravo universe at its most unhinged. We dig into Jen Shah’s release and what it really exposes about fandom, forgiveness and the questionable appetite for a redemption arc. We get into the rising questions around Lisa Barlow’s business empire, the slow unraveling of Kyle and Amanda under reality-TV pressure, and why every Bravoleb suddenly thinks a DJ booth is their path to reinvention. Then we head to Beverly Hills and Vanderpump Rules, where authenticity is the storyline Bravo can’t manufacture. Erika Jayne’s emotional vacancy, Rachel Zoe’s unexpectedly star o the rise, the franchise’s creeping stagnation and the spark of hope in newcomers like Boz all go under the microscope. We also unpack representation and the emotional weight Garcelle was being asked to carry, and the way politics and pop culture are bleeding into each other more than ever. Fast, sharp and full of cultural x-rays, this episode gets right to the psychology of why we watch and what the drama reveals. Find Cat at: IG: @worm_with_a_mustache TikTok: @worm_with_a_mustache Follow the show at @jana.firestone Watch full eps on YouTube at: @poptherapypodcast Or come and say hello at www.janafirestone.com Thank you to our wonderful audio engineer Sam Talbot, who you can work with directly right here: www.samtalbot.com.au

    1h 19m

  8. 07/12/2025

    Riccio Recaps BravoCon: The Party, The Parasocials & Bravo 2.0

    We have officially rebranded and are leaning right into the Pop Therapy of it all! The Curious Life Podcast has been a our home for the last 7 years, but we are rounding out the year with the new name that really captures it all. Welcome officially to POP THERAPY! This week, I sit down with recap queen Kate Riccio to debrief the glittered chaos of BravoCon - the thrills, the crowd crush, the parasocial tightrope and the Bravolebs who handled it… and those who very much did not. We dive into Salt Lake City’s current cultural chokehold, Emmy Sharrett's Southern Hospitality Panel, and why she gets such a hard time from the fans. Southern Charm and Summer House get the Pop Therapy treatment as we unpack friendship fractures, fame fatigue and why the audience now feels as emotionally invested as the cast. Kate has some genius ideas for Bravo 2.0 and a candidacy we can all get behind! Make sure you're following Kate for all things reality TV at: TikTok:@katericcio Insta: @ricciorecaps and @therealityofreality Follow the show on IG at @jana.firestone Get in touch via the website at: www.janafirestone.com Watch full videos on YouTube at: PopTherapyPodcast Thank you to our brilliant audio engineer, Sam Talbot! You can work with him too at www.samtalbot.com.au

    1h 33m
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5
out of 5
53 Ratings

About

Pop Therapy (formerly The Curious Life Podcast) is where therapist, bestselling author and unapologetic pop-culture obsessive Jana Firestone dissects the worlds we binge. From Bravo scandals, celebrity culture to streaming sensations and the fandoms that fuel them. With a clinical lens and a die-hard viewer’s heart, Jana unpacks the psychology of conflict, fame, friendship fractures, redemption arcs and the storylines we can’t stop analysing, alongside candid conversations with the people living inside the pop-culture machine. Smart, incisive and highly entertaining.

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